


It Started With a Text

by foxxinq



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, I will update the tags I don't know what to put, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Kinda, M/M, Modern AU, Pen Pals, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), he's trying his best he's just really bad at holding conversations, kind of, text fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-10-23 17:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10724040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxxinq/pseuds/foxxinq
Summary: "Okay class, our school is starting a  project where everyone is assigned a pen pal. You will get someone's phone number and in a month you get to meet them, however you can't reveal any personal information about yourself beforehand." The teacher explains."So it's like a blind date?" A voice pipes up from the back of the class.Or, Lance and Keith are assigned texting pen-pals. Chaos, bad flirting, and fluff ensues.





	1. 1 - The Project

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first voltron fanfic i am so sorry if i butcher the characters

"Okay class, our school is starting a  project where everyone is assigned a pen pal. You will get someone's phone number and in a month you get to meet them, however you can't reveal any personal information about yourself beforehand. This project counts towards 10% of your grade in both your english and science classes, so if you're caught breaking the rules we will give you a 0." The teacher explains.

  
  
"So it's like a blind date?" A voice pipes up from the back of the class. The class laughs in response.

  
  
"Um, in a way I suppose it is. Enough questions, come get your matches." The teacher spoke quickly, wanting to begin the project.

  
  
Lance slowly walks up to the teacher's desk with a large grin on his face. He was one of the few actually excited for this project. He loved making new friends, although the best part of this to him was the anonymity of it all. He could truly be himself and this person couldn't judge as they had no clue who he was.

 

Lance was certainly confident in his looks, so someone getting to know him personality wise was a weird concept. His brown hair and tan skin, tall lean but muscular structure, and dazzling blue eyes made him quite the looker. He knew it too, and constantly flaunted it, making the people around him groan and deny that he wasn’t _that_ hot. So of course he was more than ready to make someone like him for just his personality. He wanted to see if someone would really be okay with normal Lance.

  
  
"State your name and grade." His teacher spoke once he reached the desk.

  
  
"Lance McClain, 11th grade." Lance smiles a toothy grin at the teacher. He was slightly shaking because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but he didn't mind. He was too excited.

  
  
"Uh huh. Here's your match. You have to address each other by the nicknames you've been assigned in order to keep from revealing your names. Your nickname is Blue, while your partner's nickname is Red. If you're caught using real names or giving out personal information you'll fail." You could tell he was bored of saying this over and over since he had started to doze off even as he was talking. When he finished however he extended his hand to give Lance a folded piece of paper with his name and grade on it.

  
  
Lance took the paper happily, and as he walks back to his seat he unfolds it. Inside was the codename of his partner, Red, and a phone number. Lance pulls out his phone so he could add the number to his contacts and send a quick message.

  
  
_hey! we're partners for the pen pal thingy, i'm blue :-)_

  
  
Lance looks over the text, analyzing it. Was he coming on too strong? Maybe his partner didn't even know about the project yet. What if he weirded them out in the first text? Can that even happen?

  
  
A slap to Lance's back snapped him out of his thoughts, and it scared the shit out of him. In his frightened state he jumped, making his hand press against the send button, which it was hovering over seconds before. He groans at the 'whoosh' noise his phone made while sending the message and turned around to face the person who inflicted this kind of damage. He was greeted with an overwhelming positive smile from his best friend Hunk however, and he couldn't help but smile back, even if he was still mildly annoyed. Hunk is a huge ray of sunshine in any situation, if you don't smile back, you're simply heartless. 

 

Hunk was a big guy, but really he was nothing more than a large teddy bear. His chocolate brown eyes melted the hearts of everyone he came into contact with. Who didn’t love Hunk?

 

"Hey buddy! Who'd you get matched with? Mines codename is Green! And I’m Yellow! Isn't that cool?" Hunk beams, sharing his excitement over the project as well.

  
  
"Wow, what original codenames. My partner is Red, I’m Blue. Does everyone get colors or something?" Lance asks, a sarcastic grin on his face.

  
  
Although when his phone buzzes, the sarcasm drains from his face, instead being replaced with fear. “Hunk! It’s them! What if they don't like me already? Well how could they not, have you seen me? Wait! They haven't seen me! They could think I’m the biggest nerd at this school!” Lance rambles on in fear to his best friend, and he was so out of it he failed to notice when Hunk grabbed his phone and checked for himself.

 

“Buddy? Relax, all he said was ‘hey’.” Hunk tells the boy, trying to calm him down. Lance froze in place however, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. After all, he just had a brief meltdown over the word hey. He bangs his head on the desk in front of him and just lays there. All Hunk could do was watch and supportively pat his overdramatic friend on the back.

 

“What do I say back?” Lance mumbles against the desk, causing Hunk to let out a quiet chuckle. He passes Lance his phone before giving a reply, since he honestly had no clue what to say to the boy.

 

“Uh, well.. Ask him about his hobbies? I don't know how much personal info we're allowed to share with our partners.” Hunk clenches his eyebrows in thought, moving his hand up to his chin in concentration. His eyes suddenly lit up, informing Lance that he had an idea. “That's actually a good question! I’ll ask the teacher and be right back.” He totally didn't say that just to get away from Lance for the moment. Totally.

 

Lance sighs and buries his face further into the desk, if that was even possible. He lifts his phone into an awkward position and begins typing out his response.

 

_so, tell me about yourself :-)_

 

Lance immediately caught himself once he realized he sounded like a major fuckboy.

 

_i mean like your hobbies and interests lol_

 

He let out an audible sigh of relief and relaxed, setting his phone down. This was going to be a long day. Before he could relax for too long though, Hunk came back. “So the teacher said you can share anything other than what you look like, your real name, where you live, you know, that kind of stuff.”

 

“So as long as they have no clue who you are, you’re good?” Lance lazily asks and Hunk nods in reply. Lance’s phone buzzes against the desk and he scrambles to pick it up.

 

**_I like watching alien shows I guess._ **

 

Lance laughs a bit out of confusion. Alien shows, really? “Hunk, he says he likes watching alien shows. What a neerrdd.” Lance groans. “Can we get our partners switched?”

 

“Aw, c’mon Lance, you like anime, so really he’s nothing compared to you.” Hunk teases, grinning down at his friend. Lance pouts and says in mock hurt, “Anime is a delicacy. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He humps and crosses his arms in retaliation, but after seeing the slight glare his friend gives him, he sighs. “Okay, maybe he’s not thaat bad. I’ll give him another shot.”

 

Hunk smiles, patting his friend on the back. “Good, I’m proud.”

 

_anything else? you can't only like aliens right_

 

“God Hunk it's getting awkward already.” The tan male whines. “What are you and Green talking about?”

 

“We're talking about engineering! Oh and robots! They're so cool!” Hunk smiles fondly at his phone and Lance whines louder.

 

**_I also like Mothman?_ **

 

After a small moment of silence, Lance’s face turns to that of annoyed confusion. “Hunk, what the fuck is a Mothman?”


	2. 2 - Labels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so i didn't think i would have another chapter out so soon but you all showed so much support for this story that i had to! i ended up staying awake until 2:30 am last night writing chapter 2 and 3. thank you all for reading and commenting on this! 
> 
> also i am going to update every 3-4 days!

“Who were you matched with Allura?” Hunk asks, smiling at his female friend.

 

Allura in better words, was a goddess. Although that’s an understatement. She was head cheerleader, super smart, tall, and drop dead gorgeous. Everyone’s dream girl, whether you admit it or not. Her dark skin and white hair contrasted, but in a good way. She looked like she was ready for a photo shoot no matter what she was wearing.

 

The trio had formed in middle school, when the boys were in 6th grade and Allura was in 7th, before people had gotten the label of cool or not. Although even after the labels were given out, the three remained friends. Which still shocked the boys to this day. Why would one of the most popular people in school hang out with them? She even ate lunch with them every day, only missing when she was sick, or when something important came up. Nonetheless, they were as close as could be, and they were all happy about the way things turned out.

 

“He is a very nice young man! His codename is Black, just like mine is Pink! Luck must have been on my side when I received this codename, I think it suits me.” Allura gushes, pulling a cute pose. Her right hand was up by her eyes, fingers making a peace sign. It was quite cartoonish, but was nothing less than adorable. The boys awed quietly to each other before replying back.

 

“Do you know anything about him?” Lance asks, wide eyes. He was very intent on hearing all about Allura’s mystery man. As being labeled the group’s gay-  _ bi _ as Lance would often correct- best friend, it was his job to know all of the gossip about everyone his friends interacted with. However, everyone knew Lance would do that whether or not he had the label. 

 

“Um, perhaps. With what little we are allowed to share about ourselves, it was certainly hard to learn anything. I gathered that he plays football though.” Allura sighs dreamily as she places her chin in her hands. All the while the guys share nervous glances. 

 

“Not to burst your bubble princess, but do you really want a guy on the football team to be your prince? A good 90% of them are asshole fuckboys, and that’s saying it nicely.” Lance cringes a bit of the harshness of his tone, but it was the honest truth.

 

Hunk nods in agreement before adding, “Except for Shiro.” If it was possible, Allura seemed to go deeper into a dream like state. Shiro was head of the football team and was really the only one on the team to deserve the label nice. He volunteered with his little brother to help the community, and stuck in a small group of people that were way below him in social status. Though that didn’t matter to him, and he gladly stuck up for his friends whenever someone dared to call him out on it. Even Lance idolized that guy, who hasn't at least one time?

 

“How cliche, head cheerleader and captain of the football team. Haven’t heard that one before.” Lance rolls his eyes sarcastically, forcing himself to let out a yawn for dramatic effect. Allura lightly punches him in response and he chuckles along with Hunk. 

 

**_What are your interests then? If you’re so quick to judge mine._ **

 

Lance groans as he reads the reply Red gave. He was totally giving the wrong impression. He just wanted to be friends! Honest! Hunk seemed to pick up on his best friend’s distress and shot him a worried glance. “Trouble in paradise?” He nervously chuckles. It wasn’t always the best idea to approach Lance with humor when he was upset, but Hunk went for it anyways.

 

“Tell me about it! This Red person is totally reading me wrong. Allura, you’re good at fixing my mistakes, help me out here.” Lance pouts at the white haired girl, pulling his signature puppy dog face. With his eyes wide and lips out, Allura couldn’t resist. 

 

“Fine, let me see your phone.” He did as told and she begun to work her magic. Her baby pink and purple fake nails type a million keys a minute before she settles on a message. She hands back Lance’s phone with a rather large smirk gracing her features. Lance couldn’t believe his eyes. 

 

_ what? no judgements here :-) you just surprised me. i’m sure aliens are super cool when you know as much as you do about them. _

 

“Allura, it’s… it’s so nice! It doesn’t sound like me at all! Where’s the jokes? The flirty remarks? There’s no way they’ll believe that’s me.” Lance was in shock. He wanted it fixed, though he wasn’t sure if this counted as fixed.

 

“It’s nice. I know that’s foreign to you, but trust me. You can go back to being Lance when you say your interests, alright?” Allura sighs, hitting send for Lance before he could delete it.

 

“This is betrayal.” Lance spits jokingly. Allura shrugs with a smile on her face.

 

“This is friendship.”

 

**_Oh. Well, thank you? I think?_ **

 

“It’s fixed! I take it back. All hail Queen Allura!” Lance gives Allura a side hug before typing out a reply speedy fast.

 

_ and i like the usual. ya know, videogames, memes.  _

 

Lance’s phone buzzes almost right after. He forgot they were at the same lunch. It was weird to think about. Red, this mysterious awkward person was somewhere out there, maybe even in the same cafeteria. Lance would be lying if he said he didn’t want to know who Red was, and he would be telling an even bigger lie if he said he didn’t feel a somewhat large rush of excitement wash over him whenever he felt his phone buzz. 

 

**_What are ‘memes’?_ **

 

Lance spits out some of the Coca Cola he was drinking. “Dude! What the heck?” Hunk cries, rushing to save all the food he spit on.

 

“This is a level 4 emergency! Red doesn’t know what memes are!” Hunk stops cleaning and Allura looks up from her phone, their emotions unreadable. Things were dead silent for a few seconds before all three of them burst out laughing. They kept laughing until they started receiving weird looks from the rest of the cafeteria. This certainly wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but they quieted down anyways, sending apologetic glances to those around them.

 

“You need to educate them.” Hunk beamed, though it was a slightly evil smile. Lance copied the smile on his face, although before he could ruin his pen pals day with day memes, Allura scolded the boys.

 

“They obviously have not been corrupted by the internet yet. Let them be corrupted when they want.” Allura stated in her ‘do not bother opposing me’ voice. Lance didn’t get the hint however, so he opened his mouth to protest. That is, until he saw her send a chillingly scary smile towards him. 

 

“You’re totally right hahaha. Totally.” Lance cowered, scarred for life.

 

The bell rang and with quick but meaningful ‘see you later’s, the group parted ways. Lance headed off to his english class, finally remembering to reply to Red.

 

_ don’t worry about it u pure child. where r u headin to?  _

 

Texting in the hallways was a difficult task, so Lance opted to shorten the spelling of everything so he could avoid running into someone.

 

**_I don’t know if we are allowed to share that._ **

 

_ relax. there r at least 3 tchers for each subject in evry grde _

 

**_How does your spelling continue to get worse?_ **

 

Lance, although insulted, found himself smiling. He figured this was Red’s way of teasing and poking fun, so he would humor him. Although just this once!

 

_ hey! txtin while walkin is hard! >:( _

 

**_I can see that. I have english right now._ **

 

Lance’s heart rate increases more than slightly. He and Red were both heading to english. He had just assured Red that there was no way they would be sharing personal information. That is, because he figured they would be on opposite sides of the school. What if he was in his class? What if he sat next to him?

 

_ haha what a  _ _ coinkydink  _ _ so do i.  _

 

Wow, nice going Lance. Playing it real smooth there.

 

**_Coinkydink?_ **

 

Lance laughed but didn’t get the chance to reply since he had arrived just as the bell rang and had to rush to his seat before his teacher walked in. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay tuned, because next chapter we get keith's pov!!!!


	3. 3 - Keith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the support on this so far! i appreciate all of your comments so so much they motivate me to keep writing chapters!

“Alright class, I assume you’ve all gotten assigned your partners? Well, I know it’s all knew and exciting, but the same phone rules apply, no phones during my lesson. However, since you all know this is one of the classes your project grades count in, we will have work days that involve nothing but texting. Yay.” Eye roll. “To start off, how are you getting to know your partners? What kind of questions have you asked?”

 

A hand raises in the front row. “I asked them all of their favorite things. Like um, food, sport, subject, that kind of stuff.” The teacher nods in approval before calling on another student. Lance promises to take notes on what to ask Red. But then  _ she _ walks in, Nyma.

 

Lance zones out as he stares at her. Her yellowish blonde hair flutters behind her as she walks and apologizes to the teacher for being late. She then takes her seat a few rows in front of Lance. His heart flutters and he needs to talk to someone. His friends would just laugh at him, so he decides to talk to someone new, Red.

 

_ dude have you seen nyma today she looks so hot.  _ It’s a mystery to Lance how he didn’t get caught texting, but he silently thanks whoever’s giving him this luck.

 

**_Can’t relate._ **

 

_ wat u mean?? _

 

**_I’m gay._ **

 

Lance’s heart flutters again, but it was more of a shocked flutter, he swears. It’s only because he has barely met anyone else into guys, that’s all. He didn’t even realize he left the chat open for too long until Red sent another message.

 

**_I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sent that. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable._ **

 

_ you didn’t! i’m also into guys. well i mean i’m bi but yeah don’t worry _

 

Lance let out an audible sigh after he pressed send. That was a close one. A ‘too close for comfort’ one. He didn’t want to make Red uncomfortable and sad. That’s like the opposite of what the project was looking to achieve by making strangers come together.

 

**_That’s good. Does that mean you’re also a boy?_ **

 

_ heck yeah broski _

 

“Lance! I thought I said no phones!” Oh shit, he was caught. He put on his cheesiest smile.

 

“I’m so sorry. I pinky promise it won’t happen again.” He speaks calmly, holding out a pinky. The class giggles in reply. The teacher huffs but drops it and resumes going over the lesson, or whatever they were going over beforehand. 

 

**~**

 

Keith wasn’t necessarily against this project. Sure he wasn’t the most talkative person, even over text, but it was nice to be able to start over without someone knowing who he was.

 

“Oh you’re Shiro’s little brother?” “You’re Shiro’s bro right?” “He’s nothing like his brother.”

 

It became draining after a while. He didn’t want to live in his adoptive brother’s shadow. He wanted someone to like and be friends with him for him. Not just because they think they can get a free invite to parties that members of the football team throw, or because they think if they’re around Keith, they’ll be closer to Shiro, therefore making him notice them and they inevitably fall in love. That was Keith’s whole life.

 

So when Keith thought he scared off Blue by spilling his greatest secret, he fell into panic. His fingers had seemed to type and send the message before even reading it. He had just figured, if there was anyone he could trust with that kind of info, it would be a complete stranger. That only sounded a little flawed in his head.

 

What he didn’t expect however, was for Blue to be bi. That was on his list of ‘things that could never happen’. And that’s saying alot, considering he believes wholeheartedly that he will somehow discover aliens on planet Earth. 

 

Nonetheless, it warmed Keith’s heart. He wasn’t cast aside or thrown out, not this time. And that made it worth it to continue the project. So what if he didn’t understand slang and he didn’t know what memes are? Blue was still talking to him, and maybe he even considered them  _ friends. _

 

Though if we’re talking about scares, when he found out they were both in english after lunch, he nearly stopped walking to class. He was so close to turning around. What are the odds that they’re in the same class? What are the odds that right when Nyma walked in, Keith received a text from Blue about her. But that’s simply crazy talk right? Because what are the odds?

 

That class was over though, and Keith was more than grateful. If he wasn’t there, he wouldn’t think about it. That became his motto a while back, and he stuck with it through thick and thin. Except he knew his friend Pidge, and he knew they would want answers. It is quite noticeable when your dark brooding friend who usually has a scowl instead looks relaxed. They weren’t at that point though, so he wouldn’t think about it. He sits down at the table they usually meet at during breaks, and before he knows it, he zones out.

 

“...-eird. Hey, are you even listening?” He was not in fact listening. That is, until he receives a flick to his nose. 

 

“What the hell Pidge?” Keith complains, touching his nose.

 

“Don’t be a baby, I only flicked it. You deserved it too, you totally weren’t listening to me!” Pidge retaliates, crossing their arms. Keith knows he’s been caught, so he just gives in. 

 

“Alright fine. What were you saying?” 

 

“I was saaying, you look weird. Did something happen with Blue?” It was as if Pidge could read his mind. Just because Pidge was practically a child prodigy doesn’t mean they know how to read minds yet, right? You don’t see many 14 year old juniors around, especially ones that read minds. 

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Keith replies simply. Pidge doesn’t like the simplicity however, and sends him a glare. “Okay, okay. I told him I was gay.” He braces for the worst, unsure how Pidge would react. Slowly but surely, Pidge’s lips curl into a cat like smile. They were proud.

 

“And how'd he take it?” Pidge prompts, although they already knew the answer. It was quite obvious, for if Blue had taken it badly, Keith would not be as calm and relaxed as he is.

 

“You already know. But, good, I think. He’s bi.” Keith rambles. He stopped at random times, as if he was unsure how to say what he meant. But that was normal for Keith. Pidge’s catlike grin grew in width, so it appeared as if it was stretching over their whole face, but it was charming. He hadn’t seen Pidge smile like this and truly mean it for who knows how long. 

 

“My little Keith is finally growing up.” Pidge grins. “Bring your boyfriend over for lunch, I wanna meet him.”

 

“I have to meet him first.” Keith grumbles, before realizing his mistake. “He's also not my boyfriend!” Pidge laughs hard, almost going into hysterics. 

 

When they finish laughing, they say, “You know I can just hack the system and tell you who he is right?”

 

“And risk failing? No thank you. Plus I want to find out myself, okay? We have only been talking for a day.” Keith sighs. It was simply too soon. They aren't too good of friends yet, and the insecurities in the back of Keith’s mind told him that if Blue ever found out, he would just use him or leave him. So he would sit tight, for now.

 

Before the conversation could continue any further, Shiro walks up to the two, with Matt, Pidge’s brother, trailing close behind. “Hey Shiro, how’s it going with your partner?”

 

At the mention of his partner, Shiro’s face breaks out into a huge smile. “Oh she’s great! Her codename is Pink!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmk if i did our boy keith justice


	4. 4 - Pidge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the nice comments so far ily guys they really make my day

_so red how’s life_

 

**_Good? How is your life?_ **

 

_it’s great now that you’re in it ;)_

 

Lance would admit that flirting with his partner wasn’t the smartest idea, but it’s not like he was _actually_ flirting. It was just something he liked to do for fun, and he hoped that Red understood that it was all for fun. Though, Lance wouldn’t necessarily mind if he did take it seriously.

 

**_Uh huh, sure. Are you good at Spanish by any chance?_ **

 

Lance smirked.

 

_soy el mejor orador español que jamás conocerás_

 

**_I’m hoping that means yes._ **

 

_you’re so smart_

 

**_So will you help me?_ **

 

_anything for you ;)_

 

**_[spanish.png]_ **

**_Number 4 and 5._ **

 

Red was slowly killing Lance. How did he manage to make Spanish homework fun? He could tell Red was starting to understand Spanish a bit better, and that made Lance oddly proud. He would be such a great teacher.

 

The two were slowly but surely becoming closer. It took a lot of awkward games of 20 questions, but they did it, they made it past the ‘uh, hi’ stage, and that was a huge weight off of Lance’s shoulders. Now he could be as weird and Lance as he wanted, and who was Red to judge? Red had even loosened up to him. He wasn’t so uptight with his replies, and he was really trying to learn text slang, whether that was a good or bad thing.

 

It had been almost a week since the project started, which meant only four more until he could reveal himself and meet his mystery man. He was beginning to get curious about who Red was. Although he didn’t want to fail the project, it was getting increasingly tempting. Red kept surprising him, in a good way, and he was happily counting down the weeks until he finally got to meet him.

 

_am i your best friend yet ( ˘ ³˘)_

 

**_Nope, that position will always be filled by Pishfhsdfisdhfsdig_ **

 

_red?_

 

**_Sorry, guess they don’t want me spilling their name. Their codename is Green though._ **

 

_NO WAY!!?! ///THE/// GREEN?_

 

**_Um, I guess?_ **

 

_MY BEST FRIEND IS YELLOW_

 

**_Let me ask what that means, one second._ **

 

**_HI THIS IS GREEN YOU KNOW MY BUDDY YELLOW???_ **

 

_YES OMG HE’S BEEN MY BEST FRIEND SINCE BIRTH_

 

**_TELL HIM I SAY HI_ **

 

_WILL DO!_

 

**_Sorry, they stole my phone._ **

 

**_On second thought, looks like you guys had fun._ **

 

_i like green already. any friend of yellow’s is a friend of mine_

 

**_I’ll keep that in mind. They like you too._ **

 

The next day at school was nothing less than excitement. Well, built up excitement, anyways. Lance was more than excited to share his tales of Green with his best friend. “Hunk!” Lance yells, practically pouncing on the larger male. Luckily Hunk holds his ground, confusion and happiness gracing his features. He hums in reply, waiting for the tan boy to continue. “Guess who I talked to yesterday?” He teases, smirking. “Green!”

 

“GREEN?” Hunk yells, louder than Lance had been mere moments ago. Lance eagerly nods.

 

Pidge listens closely while walking back to their table. They didn't mean to eavesdrop, but once a person named Green was brought up, they decided it was for the greater good. After all, maybe it wasn’t their Green, but another Green. Maybe it was-

 

“They’re friends with Red! And I brought you up and they stole his phone and they were so excited to talk to you I feel compelled to give up my spot as your best friend.” Lance rambles. He can’t help it though, he was just so excited to get everything out to Hunk.

 

Scratch that, it definitely was them, that was Yellow and probably Blue and _oh god_ what was Pidge gonna do? They walk faster and faster until they're almost breaking into a run.

 

Hunk pulls Lance into a bear hug and shakes him slightly. “No one could ever replace Lancey. Although that’s so adorable I’m gonna tease them.” Hunk laughs merrily, his laugh ringing like bells. It was a sight Lance would pay to see again. He hadn’t seen Hunk this overjoyed in a while, he would have to tell Red to thank Green for him.

 

“Oh! Green said hi! Okay now that’s all. I was just super excited to tell you.” Lance smiles sheepishly, rubbing behind his neck with his left hand. Hunk replies with an aw and squeezes Lance tighter.

 

**~**

 

“Oh fuck.” Pidge mutters, fast walking to their table. “Ohhh fuck. Keith!” They yell, making the final to the table, where the other three were already waiting. Keith sends a questioning look in their direction, and they take that as a que to keep going. “Okay, I may have just found out who Yellow was I didn't mean to but holy shit I did and I think I discovered Blue too but I didn't get to see their faces I only hear their voices and fuuuuuck.” Pidge finishes their rant with a groan, slamming their head onto the desk.

 

Keith couldn't reply as his jaw looked about ready to hit the floor, so his brother replies for him. “How did you find out?” Shiro asks, slightly proud that Pidge found it out without hacking.

 

“I was just walking in the cafeteria, on my way back from grabbing an apple. The one day I get food, seriously the only day out of the whole year! And I overhear someone talking about how ‘Green took Red’s phone and Green says hi’ and I panicked. Although I think I handled the situation pretty well.” Pidge mumbles, their face still pressed against the table, which made their words a bit mushed.

 

“What did you do?” Keith finally asks.

 

“I booked it.”

 

**~**

 

**so, i may have just found out who you are**

 

**well not you specifically but i heard your voice**

 

_You did? Was it at least nice?_

 

**of course it was you big ball of sunshine**

 

“Hey Lance, we may have a problem? Maybe? Green know what my voice sounds like. Which means they also know what your voice sounds like. I mean it’s not that big of a deal, I checked and there are no rules about hearing each other's voices.” Hunk says wearily.

 

“I hope they tell Red about how sexy my voice is.” Lance laughs. But after noticing how unsure Hunk was, he softens. “Don’t worry bro, it’s fine! It just means you can like, I don’t know, Facetime them without cameras, but like you can talk?” He ends with a question like phrase, leaving it up to Hunk to decide whether or not it was a good idea.

 

“Actually, that’s genius! I’m going to text that to them! Do I use your real name or codename?” Lance shrugs in response to Hunk. He results in looking to Allura, silently pleading her to answer.

 

“I propose you use your codenames, just to be safe. You would not want to get caught sharing personal information, even if it is not your own.” The says, her wisdom receiving praise.

 

“Yeah, you’re totally right! Thanks Allura!” Hunk smiles, ever so grateful for the female being there for him.

 

_Blue just came up with the best idea ever! You’ve already heard my voice, so why don’t we do a voice call sometime? It doesn’t break any rules, I checked.(*＾v＾*)_

 

**dude! nice! let’s plan on it ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ**


	5. Group Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alright here's the rundown.  
> lance - italics  
> keith - bold  
> hunk - italics underline  
> pidge - bold underline  
> shiro - underline  
> allura - bold italics

_do you have mario kart_

 

**No, but I bet Green does.**

 

_ask them if you can borrow it i'm gonna kick ur ass_

 

**I highly doubt that. Green’s the only one who could ever beat me.**

 

_yeah until u met me ;)_

 

“Hey Pidge? Could I borrow your Mario Kart?” Keith asks, albeit a bit quietly.

 

“Blue?” Pidge asks lazily in reply, looking up from their phone to smirk at the boy. Keith nods, looking down to avoid eye contact, slight blush hinting on his cheeks from embarrassment. “Then yes. I’ll bring it tomorrow, k?”

 

_i just had THE BEST idea you will ever hear_

 

_get this: u, me, green, yellow. group chat_

 

“Uh, okay. Blue wants a group chat with us and yellow.” Keith speaks hesitantly, unsure whether it was a good idea or not.

 

Pidge’s eyes gleam, and their response was immediate. “Yes. Set it up.”

 

“You're really okay with that? I thought you didn't like interacting with humans outside of our group?”

 

Pidge seemed to contemplate this for a moment before nodding. “You got me there. But I like Blue and Yellow, and so do you, you big lug. Stop being nervous.” Keith simply hums in response.

 

**Okay. We're in.**

 

_YAY!! i'll add you guys_

 

**~**

 

_heyyyyy_

 

_I can't believe you got them to agree._

 

**I can't believe it either.**

 

_partaaaayyyy_

 

**i may be regretting this**

 

**Same.**

 

_Same._

 

_AW CMON GUYS IM NOT THAAAT BAD_

_you all love me, whether you admit it or not_

 

_True_

 

**debatable**

 

_okay but how crazy is it that we are all in the same cafeteria right now_

 

**ive already heard your guy’s voices so**

 

_okay fair enough but you haven't seen my beautiful face_

 

**i dont want to**

 

**They only want to see Yellow’s face.**

 

**lmao tru**

 

_Awwww bro <3 _

 

_ive been replaced already ;-; red ur my best friend now_

 

**No thanks.**

 

_aw cmonnnn_

 

**you're so mean to blue**

 

_yeah!!!!!_

 

**Fine. I’ll be your best friend for 1 day.**

 

_YAAAAY YOURE THE BEST ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡_

 

**...Uh huh..**

 

**that's adorable**

 

_I ship it._

 

_shut upppp_

 

**What's a ‘ship’?**

 

**oh boy**

 

_you really don't want to know. trust me_

 

**Okay?**

 

The bell rang signifying that lunch was now over.

 

“I feel left out.” Allura pouts. “You are all in a group chat without me.”

 

A wave of guilt flows through the boys. Hunk and Lance make eye contact, before looking to Allura and yelling, “I’m sorry,” at the same time. They wrap the white haired girl in a hug and Hunk pulls out his phone. “I’ll add you into the chat right now. The only thing is we have to address you by your codename, okay?”

 

“That is fine with me. You really do not have to though, I was mostly joking.” Allura smiles, pulling the two boys closer.

 

“Dude, we want you in there! And Red and Green will totally love you!” Lance smiles into the hug.

 

_Hey, hope it’s okay, we added our friend Pink. She’s really cool._

 

**_Hello! It is nice to meet you all!_ **

 

**~**

 

Keith and Pidge’s eyes go wide. “Hey Shiro, didn’t you say your partner’s codename was Pink?” Pidge asks, probably slower than they should’ve asked it, but they were still kind of in shock.

 

Shiro’s face turns to that of a confused half smile. He has unsure why the question had come up all of a sudden, but nonetheless he went with it. “Yes in fact, I did. Why?”

 

“Haha, funny story. Keith and I are in a groupchat with Blue and Yellow, our partners, and they just added someone with the codename Pink. Sound familiar?” Pidge nervously chuckles. Shiro’s eyes go wide in response.

 

“Is it really her? Have you talked to her?” Shiro asks, his tone full of curiosity and wonder. He ungracefully tries to take Pidge’s phone to see for himself, but they pull their phone away last minute and hold it behind their back. Shiro pouts at his smaller friend, and they give up, handing their phone to him. His expression falling into a soft smile. “If it turns out to be her, please add me to the group chat.”

 

Pidge offers him a salute often used by scouts and the military. Then they add, “Why don’t you text her and ask if she’s the one in the groupchat or not?”

 

“That’s a great idea! Thank you Pidge!”

 

Hello Pink, I have a question for you. Do you happen to be in a group chat with my friends Green and Red?

 

**_I just so happen to be! They are very nice!_ **

 

“It’s her!” Shiro laughs. “What a small world. Who would’ve guessed that all of us know each other in some way, shape, or form?” Shiro stops his speech to look at Keith, who seemed to be deep in thought. “Keith, are you okay?”

 

This seems to snap Keith out of his daze and he looks up. “Uh, yes. I’m just thinking.”

 

“And what are you thinking about?” Shiro asks, his brotherly concern taking front.

 

“I just don’t think this is a coincidence. It’s all, too perfect? I guess? Sorry, it’s hard to explain... It just makes me wonder.. if we know these people outside of texting and all that. Odds are, they’re in our classes, or... we know them from somewhere.” Keith tries to explain, but words seem to get the better of him.

 

“Dude, I totally get what you mean. But we’ll see in just a couple of weeks, right?” Pidge responds before Shiro can get the chance, and Keith just nods. “Also Shiro, do you want to be added to our group chat?”

 

“Yes, please!”

 

**this is our friend black, he heard he knew pink**

 

_HOLY SHIT REALLY_

  _SMALL WORLD_

 

That is what I said!

 

**_Welcome! It is nice to see my partner here!_ **

**_Not to mention, we are all acquaintances now!_ **

 

**for once i’m grateful for this stupid project**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay listen, i know this chapter sucks. but guess what happens next chapter? KLANCE FACETIMES


	6. Facetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter i've ever written!! also i made an instagram @ foxxinqq if you want to follow or befriend me and give me suggestions or tell me some cute klance moments you wanna see happen!!!

 

It had been two weeks since the start of the project. During that time, the group chat flourished. Their phones beeped in unison, and each group would immediately become glued to their phones. It was uncharacteristic of a few of them to spend that much time on technology, aka everyone except for Lance and Pidge, but it had just become second nature to the group by now. They honest to god wouldn’t have it any other way.

_ so i’ve been thinkin _

_ ya know how g and y have been audio facetiming _

_ we should tooooooo _

**Why?**

_ well i know u have ur spanish final coming up _

_ and u can’t pronounce like anything _

**You don’t know that!**

_ k first of all you can barely read the spanish. if you can pronounce it i would actually be genuenly surprised _

**Genuinely* But I appreciate you trying to use big words.**

_ alrighty then mr. spelling police hmph _

**Okay, you’re right about the Spanish thing. I don’t think audio facetime is the best option though..**

_ of course it is!!! y and g do it all the time. y has been getting crazy good grades bc of it!!  _

**I guess we could.. Just to try it out of course.**

_ i knew you would see it my way ;) what’s your grade in english? _

**I think it’s a 93? Why?**

_ WHAT THE HELL MAN _ _   
_ _ YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE A GEENUS _

**I’m not, I just can actually spell.**

_ wow, rude. _

_ you have to help me write a poem for english _

**If you help me learn more Spanish I will.**

Despite Lance not knowing what Red looked like, he could practically imagine the smirk on his face when he typed that. Two can play at that game.

_ well i don’t think one poem is worth all the spanish i’m about to teach you _

**I think it will be, considering it will be the best poem in your class.**

_ oh yeah? bring it bro _

_ is that an okay to call you then? _

**Yeah, sure.**

**~**

Being nervous was an understatement. Keith was almost terrified. He wasn’t sure what his voice would sound like over the phone, or what Blue’s would sound like for that matter. There were too many ‘what ifs’ running through his head right now and he just, didn’t know what to do. So when his phone lit up with the ‘Incoming Facetime Audio Call’, he may have panicked, only a little. Before too many rings could play out though, he makes his decision and presses the green accept button. 

_ “Hey Red!”  _ Keith already needed to take a breather. He never thought he would find himself describing a voice as hot, but well, there he was. Woah hold up, was he actually thinking that? Blue’s voice wasn't  _ that _ hot, or cute, or anything like that! Keith was just, surprised, that's all.

Blue’s voice was both manly and not at the same time, and it was music to Keith’s ears. He wasn't sure what to expect, but any expectations he could've had were blown out the window. 

He realized he was quiet just a tad too long when a teasing, _“Reeeeddd?”_ , came out of the speakers of his phone, shocking him back into action.

“H-Hi!” He squeaked. God, he sure did hate himself at the moment. What a great first impression, good job Keith.

_ “So, about that Spanish?” _ The voice chimed.

“Oh! Right! I’ll uh, pronounce them and you tell me if it's right or wrong?” Keith spoke quickly, not meaning to make the last part sound like a question. Blue laughs in reply, sending chills down his spine. Even his laugh sounded amazing what the hell? No wait, there’s no way Keith liked his laugh. It was just a laugh, that was slightly more attractive than anything he's ever heard. But it's not like he liked him!

_ “Sure mystery man. I’ll be waiting.” _ He was teasing him, he could tell that much. He scrambles for his Spanish vocabulary list, and flips to the pages he underlined in red, meaning: ‘these are what you have to say for your practical final’.

Keith was only in Spanish 1, which was a poor choice on his side. Their high school only required two years of the same language to graduate, so he decided to just cram it the last two years; since freshman year he decided to do weights so he could play football like Shiro. That didn't work out however, since his coach kicked him off the team for, ‘picking too many fights’ and ‘not having any team spirit’.

“El jamon.” Keith started, reading from the top of the list.

_ “Dios mío.”  _ Blue sighs, and Keith swears he can hear him facepalm.  _ “It's jámon, you pronounce the j like an h.” _

If it was possible, Keith would pale and flush at the same time, but instead his cheeks choose to do the later, turning him bright pink. “Right… I knew that.”

_ “Suuuure you did.”  _ Blue laughs.

“La servilleta.” Keith speaks, suddenly self conscious. 

_ “When two ls are next to each other, they sound like e, but you're doing better. Do you pay attention in Spanish at all?” _

“How can I when my phone is buzzing with messages from either you or the group chat?” Keith grumbles, but in a ‘roll your eyes playfully’ kind of way.

_ “Alright fair enough.”  _ Blue laughs.  _ “Guess that's why you have me huh?” _ Keith can hear the wink in his voice, and a small smile appears in the corners of his usually neutral lips.

“Guess that's why.” Keith says simply, but softly, and they spend the rest of the night teaching him how to pronounce things in Spanish.

**~**

The next night was Lance’s turn to receive help for his poem, and he was super excited. 

“Okay, so I have to write a poem about our projects, which honestly I don’t even know where to start.” Lance groans. He didn’t understand what his teacher wanted them to write about. The good, the bad, everything in the middle? He needed clarification. With the poem due next class however, he wasn’t going to be getting any.

_ “I have to do that too. Just write about how it makes you feel. If you write about how much you hate me I won’t take offense.”  _ Red replies, and Lance can hear the shrug in his voice.

“Easy for you to say, you actually have a good grade in that class, which means you’re good at writing. I can’t write creatively for shit.” Lance pauses, as if debating his next move, before saying, “What is your poem about?”

Red goes silent, and for a moment Lance wonders if their connection timed out, but then he mutters,  _ “You.” _

Lance frowns in confusion. “Hm? What did you say?” He knew what the other boy had said, or so he thought at least, but he didn’t know if they meant it the same way. 

_ “I said, my poem is about you. I-I mean, like, how we became friends and stuff! I-If we are friends that is!”  _ Red becomes more frantic as he continues, and Lance takes that as his cue to stop the other boy’s rambling.

“Yeah dude, we’re friends. Relax okay? It’s cool you would write about that.” He can hear Red let out a sigh of relief and he chuckles. This boy was too cute for Lance to handle. Not that he was cute, or that Lance liked him. He was just, adorable? Oh boy, Lance was screwed.

After some time had passed, Lance spoke, “Okay, listen to what I wrote:

‘My partner is Red,

I am Blue,

I really hate English,

But my partner is cool.’

It’s great right?”

Red stayed silent, and Lance wondered what was going through his head. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Red’s barreling laughter though. And holy shit was his laugh cute. Like, the cutest thing ever actually. 

_ “Okay, first off, blue doesn’t rhyme with cool.”  _ Red says in between breaths of laughter.  _ “Second, I know you aren’t Edgar Allen Poe,  _ (Lance tries to cut him off with a ‘who?’, but Red keeps going)  _ but you should at least be able to write a poem above third grade level, come on Blue!” _

“Hey! My poem is beautiful and is definitely at least up to middle school level.” Lance pouts, crossing his arms and letting out an angry puff of breath.

_ “Sure, sure. But okay, here, try this.”  _ Red starts, before reciting part of a poem he was writing just in case Lance turned out to be that horrible of a writer, which he had. Lance’s eyes grew wide and he quickly scribbled down the boy’s words.

“That’s amazing Red! You were so right when you said I’d have the best poem in the class!” 

Afterward, Lance was actually excited for English the next day, which had really never actually happened before. And the only person he could thank plagued his mind, filling his head with sweet thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: keith learns lance's name ;)


	7. Poems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> time to read some poems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bros the nice comments on this have been astounding thank you all so much! feel free to talk to me on instagram (@ foxxinqq) i need some friends that like voltron

During all of lunch the next day, Lance was restless. He had English next period, and he was so excited to read his poem. He changed and added what Red had told him to last night, and he couldn’t wait to show off his masterpiece. 

 

Lance was never a very good writer. He could write essays sure, but when it came to poems and creative stories, he just was no good. He couldn’t really express himself the right way when it came to his writing, and more often than not he ended up sounding childish. This poem though was different. He poured so much emotion into it, and he even explored some of his own insecurities to be able to write some of it. 

 

He was a bit bummed that Red wouldn’t be able to hear it, but he saved a copy onto his laptop, just in case he grew some balls and wanted to actually read it to him. For now though, just reading it to the class was nerve wrecking. This is the first time he really tried on something, and he was afraid of rejection more than ever.

 

“Lance, buddy, are you okay?” Hunk asks, placing his left hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, of course. I’m just, nervous I guess? For English next period. Also I got like two hours of sleep.” Lance sighs with a shaky smile. Hunk nods understandingly in reply. 

 

“Oh yes, you get to read the poem you and Red wrote together, correct?” Allura asks, her eyes gleaming with mischief. 

 

“Uh, right. I just hope the class likes it, you know? I’m known for being really bad at English, so I want to prove them wrong.” Lance sadly smiles, and Allura’s face falls. She immediately wraps him in a hug, and after a few seconds she pulls back, hands on Lance’s shoulders.

 

“May I hear your poem? I for one, think it will be amazing.” She smiles, and Hunk across from her nods vigorously, while her blue eyes stare into Lance’s. His eyes light up in return and he nods. 

 

“Yeah. I have a printed copy, let me just-” Lance cuts himself off by reaching into his backpack. “Ah ha! Got it! Okay, are you ready?” He asks, and his friends not in reply. “Phew, okay, here we go.

 

We started off as partners, and at first I was unsure. 

I know that I wasn’t the most mature.

But as time went on I started to realize-” 

 

The bell interrupts and scares Lance at the same time. He was so focused on reading the poem and conveying his emotions through the words, he wasn’t focused on anything else, at all. After almost falling off the bench, he collects himself and standsb up. “Lance, that was lovely so far! What did you realize?” Allura compliments, and Lance just shrugs, sending a playful look her way.

 

“Trade secret.” He winks, and Allura and Hunk groan.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Hunk replies. “Good luck next class, we’re rooting for you.”

 

Lance feels more motivated than ever, and even walks to class with a bit of a skip in his step.

 

**~**

 

Once Keith walked into his English class, he wanted to pass out. Mostly because he was so tired from facetiming Blue all night, but that was a small price to pay. Though just the thought of having to read his poem to the class made him mentally exhausted. He wasn’t the best public speaker, not even close, and he always got really clammy and awkward. It especially didn’t help that he had to read his poem about Blue, which was a mess all in itself. 

 

While he was helping his partner the night before, he was simultaneously trying to write his own. All he could focus on was Blue’s voice, and how excited he was, even at 2 am. Maybe he was just really tired. But in his sleep drunk state, he didn’t feel annoyed at all, even as his partner rambled on. He just felt content. It was a new feeling for him and he liked it. All he had to focus on was Blue, and it wasn’t too bad. As much as his ego prevented him from admitting it, he could get used to that.

 

But, focusing on his partner also had it downfalls. He was having troubles writing also, but he didn’t have the courage to ask for help like Blue did. So there he sat, just pondering what to write about. His mind drifted to different things, and he ended up trying to process why they were given colors as nicknames. He could see why he fit his color. He had a short temper, and his wardrobe consisted of really all red and black, but that was weird. Why would they know that much about him? 

 

Hell, Pidge’s nickname fit them too. They were always wearing a green jumper, and they were more in tune with technology and biology than the rest of them. It was starting to scare him how alike to their colors they were, and that made him wonder about Blue. Were his eyes blue? Hair maybe? What if he always wore blue? All of these questions weren’t necessarily helping his writer’s block, but he did what he always did, use his questions in his writing.

 

His poem questioned what Blue was like, it dug into what he was like as a person, the whole shebang. Even if Keith was nowhere satisfied with it, which was true, he had to stick with it, especially since they had to turn their poems in at the door. He had arrived to the class early as usual, being one of the first ones in. He took his seat in the back, and immediately passed out. He was just so tired, and the quiet of the empty classroom was just tempting him, egging him on. So of course it was only natural for him to close his eyes.

 

Keith slept for almost the whole class. The teacher was too concerned in grading the poems, and since his was on the bottom from being in so early, he knew that his teacher most likely wouldn’t be getting to it that class. What he didn’t expect however, was for a voice to slowly wake him up. This hadn’t ever happened before, and it was weird. It was just a kid reading his stupid poem, what was the big deal? That’s what his thoughts consisted of, well that is until he actually started listening to the words of the poem.

 

“But as time went on I started to realize, 

that you had become a friend in my eyes.”

 

That sounded oddly familiar, almost like the one he and Blue had written the night before. Though, it couldn’t be right? It made sense though, almost too much sense. When they were first assigned partners Blue had said he had English the period after lunch. He had been assigned to write a poem for homework, the same as Keith, and it even had the same due date. Not to mention the whole thing with Nyma. God, he was such an idiot! He should’ve known!

 

“-e saw my flaws, and didn’t judge me.

And that makes my partner perfect as can be.”

 

Yep, that was definitely Blue. No one else wrote like that. And he recognized his voice, it sounded even better in person. Stop Keith, this is not the time. But, which person did that voice belong to? Their teacher had them simply read their poems from their seats, to ‘make it less stressful’ as she claimed. So it certainly made it harder to find whoever was reading. That was the point though. 

 

As Keith’s eyes traveled across the classroom he stopped himself. This was wrong on so many levels. Although, the rules didn’t really mention what was to happen if they found out each other’s identities accidentally. 

 

“Well done Lance! This is certainly the best work you’ve done thus far! Keep it up!” Their teacher beams. Well fuck. So his name was Lance? “That’s all the time we have this class, the rest of you will read your poems tomorrow.” The bell rung after, as if to agree with the teacher, but Keith made no move to get up, in fact he sunk down into his seat. He was so screwed.

 

**Hey Lance. You added to the poem. It was nice.**

 

_ hey re _

_ WAIT WHAT THE FUCK _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: we get to read our boy keith's poem (also he and lance might meet but shhh)


	8. Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long i've had testing, finals and major writers block rip

Keith waited until after school to respond to poor Lance, in fear of what he would say.

 

**Yeah.. Turns out we are in the same English class. I heard you reading your poem.**

 

_ SHDJSDLfshf _

_ okay i’m back i had to slam my face against my phone _

_ is this against the rules _

 

**Not that I could tell, it’s not like we purposely shared information.**

 

_ okay but now i need ur name _

 

**No.**

 

_ it’s not fair that you know mine but i don’t know urs!!!! _

 

**You’re right, but they will know if I tell you over text.**

 

_ >:( _

 

**Does that mean you’re angry?**

 

No response.

 

**Keith.**

 

_ what  _

 

**That’s my name. Although you would’ve found that out in English tomorrow anyways.**

 

_ oH CRAp i didn’t even think about that _

_ do you want me to know who you are _

 

Keith pauses. Of course he didn’t. The label of ‘Shiro’s Little Brother’ followed him everywhere. He didn’t want to change Lance’s view of him. It always ends the same way. He makes a friend, they find out Shiro is his brother, they suck up to him and Shiro and ultimately leave Keith behind. He always gets forgotten. 

 

But, how many Keiths are at their school? Surely Lance would have realized who he was if he was a Shiro fanboy, right? Or at least that was Keith’s hope. People tend to associate the name Keith with Shiro, so he assumed there weren’t that many Keiths, or at least there weren’t any others in junior year. 

 

_ keith???  _

 

**Sorry. I’m just nervous.**

 

_ dude why? i’m not one to judge unless like you’re an awful person _

 

**I’m not, I just don’t want your opinion of me to change.**

 

_ then ur fine bro!! dw  _

 

**Right** .

 

All Keith could think of is whether Lance really meant what he said or not. His poem was super obvious about who his partner was, and he was okay with that, or at least he was until he found out Lance was in his English class. Now he was just left with uncertainty. He is awkward in person, even more so than over text. What if...Lance was disappointed? He surely wanted a cool, awesome, good looking partner right? What if Keith didn’t fit the bill?

 

_ facetime? _

 

**Sure.**

 

The phone rings and flashes with 'Incoming Facetime Audio Call' twice before Keith picks up. He really needs to stop picking up on a whim when he’s not actually ready. He barely has time to collect himself, though there’s not much to do. After all, they are only voice calling. He does manage to clear his throat though. “Hey.” He manages, voice wavering a bit.

 

“Hi Keith!” Lance says, and Keith can hear the smile in his voice. Not to mention, Lance sounds really good when he says Keith’s name, or maybe he’s just tired from the long day. He chooses to go with the second option to save his ego. “So, did you like my poem?” Lance continues when Keith doesn’t reply. 

 

This snaps Keith back into function, and he’s so glad that Lance can’t see him right now. “Um, yeah, of course.”

 

“Good!” Lance says, full of enthusiasm. Keith swears he can hear some relief as well, but he might have imagined it. “I’m excited to hear yours tomorrow! Do you think we could…hang out tomorrow? Like, uh, after class?”

 

This takes Keith by surprise. “Uh, okay.” He silently sighs and runs his hand through his hair. 

 

“You don’t sound so sure..” Lance trails off, and a wave of guilt flows through Keith.

 

“I am I swear! I’m just still nervous I guess...that you won’t...like me..”

 

“Aw Keith! I already told you that you have nothing to worry about!” Lance whines, trying to get  the message across for the billionth time that day.

 

“Yeah.. I know. My brother is just really, influential, I guess, and people would rather be friends with him than me. So they, uh, leave me.” Keith stutters, a lot in fact. Embarrassment floods his emotions, and he freaks out. Did he say too much? Oh god does Lance think he’s some total weirdo now? Probably. 

 

“Oh yeah I get you. It’s the same way with my older brother and sister. I mean not anymore because they’ve already graduated, but like I grew up in their shadow. I mean geez, I still get compared to them and they aren't even in our school anymore. So you don’t have to worry about it Keithy-boy, I got you.” 

 

Keith stopped. Lance was in the same situation? All of the weight seemed to lift off of his shoulders, and despite himself, he smiled. He wanted to tell Lance how much of a relief that was, and how happy he was that he was his partner, but all he could manage was, “K-Keithy-boy?” Lance chuckled in response and Keith just about died. 

 

“So, we on for tomorrow?” Lance asks, and Keith acts without thinking.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good. Can..” Lance hesitates for a beat or two. “Can I meet you, like before class?” His voice was so serious and soft that Keith may have felt his heart skip a beat. 

 

He couldn't find the words to speak. He didn’t know what to say, and in all honesty he was afraid if what Lance’s response would be. “I… I would rather you find out who I am from my poem.” That was good. That was safe. He could avoid the confrontation and put all of his problems until the last possible minute. Perfect.

 

“Oh, yeah okay.” Lance replied, almost, sad? He brightened himself up right after though. “Well I bet your poem will be super awesome then! Especially if it's about me.” The flirty tone in Lance's voice was obvious, and Keith imagines that he's wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“Thanks, I guess. Hey it's getting late, I’ll talk to you.. and see you I guess, tomorrow.”

 

“Okay Keith. See you tomorrow~!”

 


	9. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys your comments are so great i always refresh just to see if any of you amazing people have left a comment thank you all so much!!! enjoy a klance meeting

Lance nearly bounced into lunch the next day. This wasn't necessarily unusual for him, but it did mean he was overly happy. 

 

“Woah, Lance buddy, what's got you so happy?” Hunk smiles at his best friend as Lance takes a seat.

 

“Nothing~” Lance laughs. Allura gives him  _ the look _ though, and he realizes he has to come clean. “Okay so  _ maybe _ Red is in my English class, and  _ maybe _ his name is Keith.” 

 

“Wait, you know his name?” Hunk asks surprised, nearly dropping his sandwich. 

 

“Yeah, he found out mine yesterday in class so I asked for his.” Lance smiled, almost triumphantly.

 

“Does he know what you look like?” Allura pipes up.

 

“No I don't think so. He didn't tell me if he did anyways. I get to find out what he looks like today though when he reads his poem.” 

 

“Is that really a good idea?” Hunk asks. “I mean Facetime was already pushing the limit but you guys could get an F on the project.” 

 

Lance’s face falls. “Oh, I never thought of that. I guess you're right. But what can I do? I mean I’m going to find out who he is once he reads his poem.” He starts twiddling with his thumbs, a clear sign he's nervous.

 

“If it is an accident though it can not be helped right? When they assigned the poem they should have planned for this.” Allura assures Lance, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Go meet Keith, I think it will all be fine.” The bell rings at that moment as if agreeing with her and the group collects their stuff. 

 

“Guuyyss now I’m nervous. What if he doesn't like me?” Lance frowns, doubts filling his mind. 

 

“He will, Lance.” Allura smiles and Hunk nods, patting his back. Lance lets out a nervous chuckle and a quick ‘thank you’ before beginning his walk to class. 

 

When he arrived he was one of the last ones, much to his disappointment, he was hoping to get there early so he could scope out potential Keiths. Since they were pretty far in the school year, one would assume Lance had memorized his classmate’s names. But the opposite was the case. Lance wouldn't remember names unless either A, they had caught his attention, or B, they had been assigned partners for something. Neither of those applied to anyone named Keith.

 

The bell rang again, signaling the start of class. People rushed back to their seats as their teacher looked over the seating chart. “Looks like everyone is here. Alright, let’s get straight into the poems. I know that’s what you’ve all been anxiously waiting for.” Groans echo from the class, along with whoops and cheers. Everyone wanted to see their friends anxiously read their poems. Lance for one, was too nervous to do either, which gained curious glances from his classmates. He was the loud one, the class clown. But his mind was filled with thoughts of Keith. Who was this guy? Is he really in this class? 

 

“Kaitlyn, you’re up first.” His teacher smiles, and a girl in the row behind Lance starts to read. 

 

The seats in the class were designed to help ease the nervousness of the students by making the ones reading harder to find. Though for those close to the front, like Lance, they could just turn around and see the whole class, including whoever was reading. Of course, the teacher scolded him every time he turned around, but the boy was born curious, he couldn’t help but turn around. Therefore, he hoped that Keith sat somewhere behind him, he wanted to see his face.

 

Before he knew it, the girl, Kaitlyn, had finished reading and the class applauded. Lance half-heartedly joined them, even though he hadn’t heard a single word she had said. The teacher continued to call out names, and the person would read their poem. However Lance just sat and waited, too bored to pay attention, but too anxious to fall asleep. 

 

Eventually, enough time had passed that class was almost over. Then, it happened. Lance could barely contain his excitement when his teacher called out, “Keith.” He starts bouncing a bit in his seat, but he couldn’t turn around yet, since his teacher was still watching them. 

 

“Your nickname is Blue, as mine is Red.” Keith starts, and Lance immediately recognizes his voice, as if the words weren’t obvious enough that it was his partner.

 

“I assume mine is Red because of my favorite jacket, red as blood. Or perhaps my aura is red, terrifying and intense. But what about you could be blue? Are your eyes blue like the ocean? Are you calm and collecting? Do you 'go with the flow'?” Lance’s jaw had gone slack, he couldn’t believe how good of a writer Keith was. He didn’t even have any rhyming, but his poem was still amazing.

 

It was finally time for Lance to turn around, and after a couple seconds of searching, Lance found him. “What if you're all of the above?” Keith had black hair, and wait, was that a mullet? Most importantly, he was attractive, and that was an understatement. He somehow made his rough and jagged look work, and it left Lance in shock.

 

“Despite the fact that you are obnoxious, loud, and overly flirty, you are kind, compassionate.” Maybe it was the fact that he knew the poem was about him, or maybe he was just embarrassed about the compliments, but Lance found his face unconsciously heating up.

 

“And I think our red and blue were meant to make purple. Whether the purple represents a friendship or relationship is yet to be determined. So until then, our story is left to be continued.”

 

With that, the poem ended, and Lance turned around to face his teacher, who was looking at him in annoyance. He tried to give her a lopsided smile, but she noticed his blush, and somehow seemed to realize the poem caused it. Maybe it was his look of obvious shock? No matter, she smiled at him and continued to call out names. 

 

During the applause, Lance may have been the loudest clapper. 

 

After class ended, Lance purposely took longer than normal to put his stuff away. All the while he kept an eye out for the boy with the mullet. Once he started making his way down the stairs, Lance knew it was time to make his move. 

 

“Keith!” He called out, and said boy froze. Lance jogged over to him and sent a beaming smile his way. “Nice to meet you, I’m Lance.”

 

“Uh hi, I’m Keith. Well, you already knew that I guess.” Lance could see Keith’s cheeks turning pink.

 

“I liked your poem a lot. You’re a really good writer.” Lance smiles, and after a second with no response from Keith, he continues on. “So, what class do you have next?” 

 

This seems to snap Keith out of his trance and he replies, “Math, with Coran.”

 

“Oh nice! I’m in the room across from you, I’ll walk with you.” Lance smiles, and they begun to walk to class together. “I’ll have to ask you for help with my writing more often. I mean, I knew you were good, but like, not  _ that _ good. You have to teach me.”

 

“Right, uh, if you want me to I will. We have an essay due next month on our experience with our partners.” Keith says shyly, looking down. He only looked Lance in the eyes when they first met.

 

In the halls, they pass Pidge and Shiro, who seemed to be having a heated conversation. Upon noticing Keith, they stop and smile at him, before noticing who he is talking to. Pidge looks at him with the ‘you’re going to explain later’ look and Keith sighs. This causes Lance to look over and see the two. “Who’s that?”

 

Keith seems to almost stop in his tracks. “That’s Green and Black.” 

 

“Woah no way! We have to go say hi!” Lance says, starting to turn around. Keith quickly grabs his wrist, and Lance looks at him in confusion. Once Keith realizes what he’s doing he lets go, a slight blush on his face.

 

“It’s uh, almost time for class. The bell rings in a minute.”

 

“Oh crap! I can’t be late again! Okay see ya! Text me!” Lance says, progressively getting louder as he moves away from Keith.

 

Keith enters his own classroom, a small smile on his face, waving a final goodbye to Lance.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you guys want to do this chapter from Keith's pov?? it seems like he was really monotone and stuff but he's just super nervous i mean there's this hot guy in front of him whatcha gonna do

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE leave feedback i need to make sure everyone is in character i will love you forever if you do


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